High school athletes pay tribute to their No. 1 fan: Mom

Lauren Long / The Post-StandardKathy Rainone of Onondaga Hill has two daughters on the Westhill girls lacrosse team - Kenzie, a senior, (left) and Brenna, a freshman.

Every mother plays an important role in her child's life, especially athletes. She's a motivator, a dietician, a teacher, a chauffeur, a psychologist but mainly she's her child's No. 1 fan.
Sisters Mackenzie and Brenna Rainone, both Westhill lacrosse players, agree it's the little things that makes their mother, Kathy, so special.

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"Like getting my jerseys ready the night before a game and making sure I eat something healthy before a game," Brenna said. "She also helps me stay focused by telling me to think about what players my team should watch and telling me to play the hardest I can."

"My mom has been very supportive of me and she's one of the main reasons why I'm playing Division I lacrosse," said Mackenzie, who signed with UConn.

In honor of Mother's Day, a few athletes reveal what's the most important thing they've learned from their mother.

Mackenzie and Brenna Rainone / Westhill girls lacrosse
For 14-year-old Brenna, her mother taught her to never give up.

"If I ever have a bad game she tells me to just go out there next game and play how I usually do and not worry about anything else," Brenna said.

"The most important thing I learned from my mom is to keep playing hard no matter what, and to be the player that you are," said Mackenzie, 17.

"By this I mean that even when the game is a blowout, there is still fun to be had so I shouldn't just give up because of the score. Learning this lesson has made sports infinitely more enjoyable for me."

Jessica Patterelli / Canastota softball
Ever since she was a little girl, Patterelli's mother expected her to try her hardest when she plays.

"If I give a 100-percent all the time, success will follow. Those words are programmed in the back of my head every time I step foot on the field hockey field, the volleyball court, and especially on the softball field."

Katherine DeRonda / Carthage lacrosse
Charlene DeRonda encouraged her daughter to pursue her dream of playing Division I lacrosse. The 17-year-old junior verbally committed to Northwestern this season.

"She has always told me, "Dream big, no matter what anyone else does or says. Be confident and believe in yourself and who you are as a person and a lacrosse player. Whenever I set a new goal, my mom says, "Strive to be your best and never be afraid of failure. Go after what you want with all your heart and never quit, because even if you attempted, you cannot have failed, you have achieved something greater."

Zach Kadah / F-M baseball
As he got older, Kadah's mom, Gina, stressed to him not to let outside forces undermine his beliefs.

"There's always going to be people in the "real world" who are going to try to tear you down and wreck you, but you just need to remember who you are and the family you come from. No one can ever take that away from you."

"I played travel softball and my mom has attended nearly all of my tournaments in support of me. When in middle school. she encouraged me to try out for the volleyball team. When I made it, she took much of her time to help me practice and become the volleyball player I am today. The third sport is bowling and my mom also has bowled much of her life. Whenever I need any advice or help with bowling I know I can count on her."

Lauren Burlin / Onondaga softball
For Burlin, 17, nothing is more important than her mother's love.

"From working hard to make sure all my needs are met, to the little things such as sitting in the rain and cold just to watch one of my softball games, she has loved, supported and cared for me over the years."

Joe Lattimore / Auburn lacrosse
Lattimore, 18, said the best piece of advice his mother gave him is to not judge people.

"No matter what type of characteristic a person has that you encounter, always look for the best in them because you don't know what that person has to endure everyday and if someone makes a negative pass, let it go, forgive them, life is too short to let little things like that get in your way. However the most important thing I learned from my mother sports related is to do what I love and always do my best at it."

"She has always told me this but it never really meant much until this summer when I tore my ACL. My mom was there for me through my surgery and my recovery process in physical therapy. I know for a fact that if my mom wasn't there to encourage me through my recovery it would have been a much more difficult time."

Gina Campese / ES-M lacrosse
Although Campese's father, Bob, is her sports role model (he was a two-sport star at Ithaca in the early 80's), her mother, Lou Anne, is at every game and keeps her grounded.

"She has always told me to compete to the best of my ability with good character and sportsmanship. The most important thing I learned from my mom is to enjoy life and work hard at everything you do."

Chris Stogsdill / Marcellus track
Stogsdill appreciates that his mom Cindy never put any pressure on him to perform and always told him how proud she is no matter what.

"The most important thing I've learned from my mother is taking care of my body. You can ask anyone, I'd rather eat junk food all the time, but she cracks down on me (lovingly of course) and gets me to eat better."